‘Never again,’ Walmart shopper fumes after 20-minute trip took two hours & argues paying $30 to avoid it now worth it
WALMART has come under fire for taking its anti-theft measures too far in certain stores.
One shopper was stunned when she was confronted by the retailer's more controversial method to protect inventory and profits which sees items placed under lock and key.
Shannon Henry from West Deptford, New Jersey took to Facebook to share her recent experience at a local Walmart store that she had not visited for years.
The changes were so drastic since her previous visit that she has vowed to never go again after it took her almost two hours to pick up some essentials.
"EVERYTHING was locked up and minimum staff to execute their new policy," she explained in the comments to a post.
"20 min trip took close to 2 hours for a handful of items. Never again."
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As retailers battle rampant shoplifting which causes billions of dollars worth of losses each year, locking up goods in hard-hit areas has become increasingly common.
Under the controversial measure, shoppers have to get the attention of store associates who will open the locked cabinets for customers to get their items.
Often, the shoppers then have to pay for that item at a different section of the store while being escorted by an employee.
"I heard Target is slowly getting there," Henry said.
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"I’ll online shop or pay the extra $30 to have my shopping done and delivered to me. It’s crazy."
"I’d rather go to a drug store and pay double the price to not deal with that nonsense," she had previously said.
'SERIOUS PROBLEM'
Target has rolled out the preventative measure across some of its stores with customers sharing their shock at finding basic items like toothpaste under lock and key.
A shopper from Salt Lake City, Utah, shared images of the rows of locked cabinets at his local Target where socks and underwear were locked up.
"They must have a serious theft problem," he said before calling the measure "crazy."
A photograph of one of the cabinets showed a sign from the retailer explaining to customers why the new measure is in place.
"Secured shelves in the store keep the products on your list in stock," it said.
Anti-theft measures rolled out by retailers
Retailers across the US and Canada have rolled out strategies designed to combat theft. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of measures that have been implemented at stores.
- Locking items in cabinets.
- Security pegs.
- Security cameras.
- Signs warning about the impact of theft.
- Receipt scanners.
- Receipt checks.
- Carts with locking technology
The sign added that the store was "working to serve you better."
However, as more and more shoppers face such issues just to buy daily essentials, many will go elsewhere.
Molly Burke, a senior retail analyst with Software Advice has said that as large chains move to protect profits and sacrifice customer service and positive experiences, small retailers could benefit.
"Those more restrictive techniques definitely impact the customer experience," she told The U.S. Sun.
"It makes them feel like criminals when they are just trying to shop for the goods that they need."
"When the customers encounter these very sterile, almost inherently accusatory loss prevention strategies it kind of takes away that feeling of shopping somewhere where maybe you’re more of a friend or family member than just an anonymous customer," she explained.
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"I don’t think that it will become the norm for smaller businesses to adopt things like those plastic cases and shields and locking-up inventory."
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Walmart for comment.